Ineos Grenadiers have announced that Egan Bernal will lead their team at the Tour de France in July, as the Colombian makes his comeback to the race he won in 2019.
Bernal has not raced a Grand Tour since his horrific crash in early 2022, but he has shown signs of form at the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné this year.
Bernal is joined by four other Spanish-speakers in the Ineos squad, with Carlos Rodríguez, Omar Fraile, Jonathan Castroviejo and Dani Martínez. The other three riders are Michał Kwiatkowski, Tom Pidcock and Ben Turner. It will be the first Tour for Turner and Rodríguez.
One rider who misses out is Luke Rowe, who ends his streak of eight consecutive Tours since 2014; the Welshman has not been selected this time.
Bernal said he was “so excited” to be back at the Tour, which was his “main goal”.
“I can’t wait to experience every kilometre of this race again.
“I’m sure many people have followed my journey since my accident in January last year, and how I’ve faced the biggest challenge of my life. Being part of this year’s Tour team shows me that I’m on the right track to returning to my best.”
The team’s deputy principal Rod Ellingworth said they wanted to give fans “something to cheer about”.
“We’ve picked a strong group of riders that have a mix of skills and experience,” Ellingworth said. “The key to this team will be how we race, and how we approach each stage with the options we have.
“We’re all really happy for Egan, and everyone who’s helped him get back to full fitness. He’s shown his character and resilience, and the amazing effort he’s put into his recovery over the past 18 months.
“He brings a lot of insight and a winning mentality to the group, as a former winner. His grit and determination embody what we’re all about as a team, and all our riders will learn from his experience at the Tour.”
“Tom proved last year what a huge talent he is and his win on Alpe d’Huez was fantastic,” he continued. “We’re excited to see him develop further, using what he learned last year.
Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky, were dominant at the Tour de France from 2012 to 2019, winning seven out of eight editions, including five in a row from 2015 to 2019 with Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Bernal. However, since then they have only managed third place with Richard Carapaz in 2021, and Geraint Thomas in 2022.
Kwiatkowski, Fraile, Martínez and Pidcock have all won stages at the Tour before. Rodríguez is expected to target general classification. Earlier this season, the team tried out a “trident” of Bernal, Rodríguez and Martínez, but Pidcock could also go for GC.
Ineos Grenadiers Tour de France 2023 squad
Egan Bernal
Jonathan Castroviejo
Omar Fraile
Michal Kwiatkowski
Daniel Martinez
Tom Pidcock
Carlos Rodriguez
Ben Turner
